TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Syrian Army troops backed by allied forces regained control of key areas south of the strategic city of Aleppo and managed to kill more than 70 foreign-backed terrorists north of Hama.

According to Tasnim dispatches, the Syrian forces mounted a massive operation in the southern suburbs of Aleppo and recaptured vast areas of the warehouses of northern village of Khan Tuman.

A military source said the army killed more than 15 militants near an air force academy on the eastern outskirts of Aleppo and destroyed two vehicles equipped with heavy guns and a motorcycle belonging to the terrorists.

In another operation in the northern suburbs of Hama, the Syrian troops managed to retake control of some areas and kill over 70 armed militants.

According to sources in the battlefield, the Syrian troops are making more advances in the Aleppo operation.

Syrian forces are busy fighting to recapture the northern city of Aleppo from terrorists. The security forces encircled Aleppo on July 17 after closing off the last terrorist-controlled route into the city.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.

According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.